Best things to do in Rotterdam
This boisterous port city has reinvented itself in flashy modern style after extensive war damage and comes complete with a batch of cultural attractions and a vibrant nightlife.
Viewpoints and panoramas
Euromast Tower: This 185m high tower offers magnificent views of Rotterdam’s expanding skyline, complete with a rotating glass elevator to enhance the experience.
Erasmus Bridge: Known as The Swan, the cable-stretching Erasmusbrug, spanning the River Maas and completed in 1996, offers superlative views of the city skyline, particularly at sunset.
The best districts
Delfshaven, Rotterdam: Once the harbour that served Delft, the main focus of interest here is Voorhaven, whose superb ensemble of 18th- and 19th-century warehouses and high-gabled houses line up on either side of the main canal with its flotilla of boats and barges.
Blaak: Compact former working-class district that has been rebuilt in the full flush of modern design. The architectural high point here is the Markthal, a glassy, remarkably curvaceous structure with apartments constructed on top of a hoop-like market hall.
Museums
Boijmans van Beuningen Museum: This much-vaunted museum possesses one of the country’s most extensive fine art collections, not least a collection of early Flemish and Netherlandish paintings including four works by Hieronymus Bosch.
Nederlands Fotomuseum: The enterprising Museum of Photography hosts a lively programme of temporary exhibitions and more often than not at least one of the exhibitions draws extensively from the museum’s large photographic and cinematic archive.
Museum Rotterdam ‘40-’45 NU: One of the most diverting museums, this imaginatively conceived space makes a sterling effort to recreate the effects of the German assault on the city in World War II and the ravages of the heavy bombing its inhabitants endured.
Historical monuments
Kubuswoningen: These idiosyncratic cube-shaped houses were built in 1984 to a design by the architect Piet Blom: one of them, the Kijk-Kubus, is open to visitors, offering a somewhat disorientating tour of what amounts to an upside-down house.
St. Lawrence Church: The city’s oldest building, this Gothic church survived the Second World War and offers some respite from the noise outside.
Parks and gardens
Day trips in the area
The Hague: Boasting a first-rate restaurant scene and enough prime museums to exhaust even the most energetic sightseer - the Mauritshuis is a good enough reason to visit in itself - Den Haag is a most worthwhile excursion.
Delft: A lovely little town with a postcard-pretty Markt, its beguiling centre graced by a brace of handsome church towers and a lattice of slender canals.
Biesbosch: The country’s most significant and accessible wetland, readily explorable by boat or bike.
Kinderdijk Windmills: Just a short drive or boat trip away, this UNESCO World Heritage site features 19 traditional - and still operational - windmills.
Activities for families in Rotterdam
Holidays to Rotterdam offer a good mix of activities aimed at families, ensuring that both kids and adults are entertained throughout their visit.
Boat cruises: Leaving from beside the Erasmusbrug, Spido Cruises offers tours of Rotterdam’s assorted waterways and port facilities. There’s a standard harbour tour or a longer version of the tour, which includes a closer look at the port.
Ice skating: If you’re visiting in the colder months, make a beeline for the Schaatsbaan Ice Rink, a 400m oval tunnel that lights up with LEDs and disco lights; you can even try your hand at curling.
Aquariums and zoos: Rotterdam’s Diergaarde Blijdorp Zoo is one of the country’s more progressive, with conservation very much at the forefront of operations here; among its many residents are Western Lowland gorillas, polar bears and the rarely seen Dalmatian Pelican.
Free things to do in Rotterdam
The city's striking architecture invites lengthy strolls - and therefore exciting photographic opportunities - while there’s plenty more going on that won’t necessitate having to dig too deeply into your pocket.
Architectural walks: Start with the Calypso, a shimmering tower block that steals the show from its skyrise neighbours, before taking in the Erasmusbrug, a stunningly handsome bridge spanning the River Nieuwe Maas. There’s also the Markthal, an aesthetically imposing structure in the heart of the city, and the glassy and glossy new Rotterdam Centraal Station.
Free events: Rotterdam stages a string of outstanding festivals, including the much-lauded North Sea Jazz Festival, though you’ll find more free happenings at the always lively Summer Carnival.
Nature and outdoor activities in Rotterdam
Urban excitement is all well and good, but Rotterdam and its environs also offer the opportunity to indulge in more active pursuits.
Water sports: Paddleboarding, kayaking and even small boat rentals are available along the Maas River - enjoyable activities in themselves, but they also offer a pleasingly alternative perspective of Rotterdam’s impressive skyline.
Birdwatching: The reedy marshes and lagoons of the Biesbosch are hard to beat, whether that’s exploration by boat or bicycle; a wetland habitat, the park offers a perfect breeding ground for many species of birds such as kingfishers, bluethroats and assorted waterfowl.
